Manager, Battery Systems Validation & Performance

The Manager, Battery Systems Validation & Performance leads Caterpillar's Battery Performance and Validation organization within the Battery Systems team. This role is responsible for ensuring battery systems meet customer expectations for performance, quality, durability, safety, and regulatory compliance through effective verification, validation, performance assessment, and continuous improvement processes.

The manager partners closely with cross-functional engineering, product, compliance, and supplier teams to drive battery system validation strategy and execution across Caterpillar's battery portfolio. In addition, this position leads a team of validation, test, and performance engineers, ensuring requirements are verified, validated, documented, and continuously improved throughout the product lifecycle in alignment with Systems Engineering best practices. What You Will Do:

Own battery system performance, verification, and validation strategy across Caterpillar battery products.

Develop and govern validation plans, test strategies, acceptance criteria, and verification processes to ensure traceability from requirements through final acceptance.

Ensure battery systems meet performance, reliability, durability, safety, compliance, and customer requirements.

Lead battery performance analysis, competitive benchmarking, and data-driven decisions related to battery architecture, thermal management, charging performance, serviceability, and lifecycle expectations.

Govern validation execution across internal and external testing facilities, suppliers, and contract manufacturing partners, supporting NTI and NPI programs from concept through production.

Lead the development of validation processes, standards, best practices, and testing infrastructure to improve efficiency, automation, data management, and reporting while reducing test cycle times.

Serve as the primary interface with internal regulatory organizations, ensuring validation activities support product approvals and certifications (UL, IEC, UN38.3, DNV, Lloyd's Register, ABS, RINA, CE, and customer-specific requirements).

Drive root cause analysis, lessons learned, and continuous improvement initiatives to strengthen product quality and validation effectiveness.

Partner with Battery Systems Tech Leads, Product Groups, and cross-functional engineering teams to ensure validation findings drive design improvements, technology roadmaps, and future battery architectures.

Lead and develop a high-performing battery performance and validation organization, coaching engineers in systems engineering, validation methodologies, technical problem-solving, compliance testing, data analytics, and system-level verification.

Foster a culture of technical rigor, urgency, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

A bachelor's degree in Engineering or related Technical discipline

Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Extensive experience and knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.

Effective Communications: Extensive experience and understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.

Technical Excellence: Extensive experience and knowledge of a given technology and various application methods; ability to develop and provide solutions to significant technical challenges.

Managing People: Extensive experience and knowledge of processes involved in managing people; ability to lead successful teams, and diligently address issues related to performance and conflicts at the workplace.

Previous leadership experience in battery test, validation, performance, or compliance organizations.

Experience with marine, rail, mining, construction, or industrial electrification products.

Experience working with external battery suppliers and third-party test laboratories.

Knowledge of systems engineering and V-model development practices.

Experience supporting DNV, UL, IEC, CE, and UN38.3 certifications.

Track record of developing validation standards, infrastructure, and organizational capability.

Experience integrating simulation, testing, and field learning into product development decisions.

This position is located in Mossville, IL and requires 5 day a week on-site availability

This role does offer domestic relocation

This role does not offer visa sponsorship

Up to 20% travel is expected for this role

Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply.

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